The entirety of the MLS season comes down to tonight at 8:30 ET (ESPN2) when the Los Angeles Galaxy face off against Real Salt Lake at Seattle's Qwest Field. Over 40,000 are expected to be in...

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This morning, my personal site, the Kartik Report along with partner site Inside Minnesota Soccer was among those breaking the story that Crystal Palace Baltimore and Paul Daglish's Tampa Bay Rowdies were joining the new TOA "breakaway" league . Later it was reported at USL News, Â and discussed at Match Fit USA among other places, today it was revealed that Miami FC purchased the trademark for the defunct North American Soccer League. Click to continue reading...

Colorado Caribous 1978 jersey. Can't wait to see this brought back!

"Party Like It's 1979″, says the usually stone cold sober Kenn Tomasch. "The future of American soccer appears to be the past of American soccer."

Kenn writes this because news broke today that the breakaway second-tier league made-up of nine former USL and new clubs may use the North American Soccer League name for itself, after Miami FC put in two trademark claims.

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The future of American soccer appears to be the past of American soccer.

It's being reported that the new breakaway league consisting of several former USL clubs has registered the name North American Soccer League, apparently with the intent of using it at launch next spring.

There are those of us old enough to remember the original NASL (if you're not, go here).

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According to the Whitecaps website the TOA League is now 11 teams strong!

The addition of Tampa Bay and Baltimore brings the new league to nine teams, as they join the owners of the Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, Miami FC, Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact, St. Louis Soccer United and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

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USL News, a web site not affiliated with the USL, has discovered today that the new Team Owners Associations League name might just be a knock off of the most celebrated soccer league to ever operate in North America.

According to USL News, Miami FC Blues, one of the original TOA teams, has applied for the name North American Soccer League.

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Miami FC Registered Two NASL Trademark Claims on 11.16.2009
According to a search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office records, North American Soccer League, LCC in Delaware filed two trademark claims on November 16th, 2009. They claims were marked c/o Miami FC 501 Brickell Key Drive, Suite 407 Miami FLORIDA 33131
As we know Miami FC is part of the TOA "Breakaway" second division that today was joined by the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Crystal Palace Baltimore. Click to continue reading...

TAMPA, BALTIMORE TO JOIN NEW PROFESSIONAL SOCCER LEAGUE
Expansion brings new league to nine teams

Nov. 20, 2009 – The Tampa Bay Rowdies and Crystal Palace Baltimore have joined the new professional soccer league announced last week, beginning play in the United States and Canada in April 2010.

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The Dayton Dynamo were, I now realize, far from a high-quality team. But in Southwest Ohio in early 1990s, there were few better options. European soccer on television would come later that decade, but growing up the only live option was the Dynamo.

The Dynamo did not even play the true 11-a-side game seen around the world.

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It was a triple killing -- three goals in eight minutes that easily saw off the U.S. challenge in Aarhus. Friendlies tend to spawn more overreactions than calm, logical analysis simply because most American soccer fans expect to be better than they really are.

From the distant perspective of a TV screen carrying the international feed, the defensive collapse was a frustrating exercise that you'd rather not see.

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The 2009 MLS Cup his hitting Seattle this weekend, and SBI will be there to cover it, as well as to cover all the MLS-related activities associated with MLS Cup weekend.

Real Salt Lake takes on the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, but the weekend should be filled with much more as reps from all the league's teams converge on Seattle to talk deals (and in some cases, look for head coaches).

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The 2009 MLS Cup his hitting Seattle this weekend, and SBI will be there to cover it, as well as to cover all the MLS-related activities associated with MLS Cup weekend.

Real Salt Lake takes on the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, but the weekend should be filled with much more as reps from all the league's teams converge on Seattle to talk deals (and in some cases, look for head coaches).

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It was twenty years ago today that Paul Caliguiri struck the hyperbolically-named Shot Heard Round the World. This goal in Port of Spain gave the US men's national soccer team a 1-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago and put the Americans into the World Cup for the first time in forty years:

American soccer fans, please look around you.

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SEE YOU IN SEATTLE
It's MLS Cup Weekend - So come and party with your friends on Friday night!
The Designated Players - du Nord, Soccer by Ives, The Original Winger, This Is American Soccer and The Offside Rules - will be hosting a get together on Friday night in Seattle at Kells Pub. Click to continue reading...

Yeah, we had to do this one sooner or later. And being the Empire Supporters Club die-hard that he is, my former American Soccer Daily co-hort Jason Endres found a way to make the "What went right?" answer as long as the "What went wrong?" answer. But ya know what... that's New Yawk, baby. Now put the Strokes' cut Someday on and read. Click to continue reading...

On 19 November 1989 -- twenty years ago today -- Trinidad & Tobago and the USA met each other in Port-of-Spain for their final World Cup qualifier match for the 1990 World Cup in Italy. The circumstances and consequences of that match have made it the most important match in US soccer history, and marked the start of the modern era in American soccer. Click to continue reading...

If you'll pardon the double dip, allow me to re-purpose something I knocked out for MLS Insider yesterday. I got to talking to Nick Rimando for a minute and he pointed out something that I didn't think of; he basically closed out his buddy Brandon Prideaux's career with that save in the shootout (they were teammates at D. Click to continue reading...

Last week I wrote about the bottom half of my personal top 20 stadia (out of 31 total) in MLS history. This week I share with you my top 10.  My b0ttom seven were all larger stadia with capacities of 30,000+ and the next three were each smaller stadia. Today's list reveals eight smaller soccercentric stadia and two of the jumbo variety.

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Take your pick: a meaningless friendly on European soil, or fighting for a World Cup spot today. As far as that goes, American soccer fans can't complain about their situation. Thanks to some gutsy results in the final two games of the tournament, they aren't in Montevideo, with a tough Uruguay squad looking to deal a knockout blow.

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Today, we continue our series by launching an inquest into our first playoff team, the Revs. How they managed to make the postseason, I'll Nicol know... erm... never know, but luckily we have someone here to make sense of all things Beantown ball. For this one, I pass it over to former American Soccer Daily colleague (and Holy Cross midfielder) Ryan O'Hanlon. Click to continue reading...

SEE YOU IN SEATTLE
MLS Cup Weekend - Party with your friends on Friday night!
The Designated Players - du Nord, Soccer by Ives, The Original Winger, This Is American Soccer and The Offside Rules - will be hosting a get together on Friday night in Seattle at Kells Pub. Click to continue reading...

QUICK PROGRAMMING NOTES: TIAS, Du Nord, The Original Winger, Soccer By Ives, and The Offside Rules will be hosting a party Friday night 9pm in downtown Seattle at Kell's Irish Pub (FYI - bar charges $5 cover, which is not going to us). It's a true soccer bar I'm told, should be a good time. Click to continue reading...

Whilst skimming the business section of the Times of London this morning (because that's what baller-assed suits such as myself do in between Powerpoint presentations and breakfasts of California Condor eggs over easy) I accidentally spit mimosa all over my keyboard when I read the following about the alleged recent purchase of the New York Cosmos name by former Tottenham Vice-Chairman Paul Kemsley:
"Pele will be president of the company. Click to continue reading...

It wasn't supposed to end that way. We were hosting the Conference Final at home for the first time in six years, after losing on the road to Columbus last year and in New England two years ago when also 90 minutes away from the MLS Cup Final, and everything seemed to be in the Fire's favour against Real Salt Lake, with the 21,723 capacity crowd rocking from warm-ups on.

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Champions Soccer Radio Network, America's premier soccer radio network, announces the relaunch of "The American Soccer Show" featuring hosts Jason Davis and Zach Woosley. Created to serve the American soccer fan in the United States, "The American Soccer Show" will cover the American game from an American perspective.

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Jason and Zach debut the new American Soccer Show discussing USMNT friendlies, MLS playoffs, and the USL/TOA fallout.
The American Soccer Show is part of the Champions Soccer Radio Network.
Visit the American Soccer Show website for more info
Subscribe to the new iTunes feed here. Click to continue reading...

Jeter is breaking down the left flank, and he sends a beautiful cross to Johnny Damon.
Damon dribbles passed the defender and finds a wide open A-Rod!
A-Rod with a chipper to Matsui . . .
Matsui lines it up and hits a glancing head . . .
GOOOOOLLLLL MATSUI!

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Jason and Zach debut the new American Soccer Show discussing USMNT friendlies, MLS playoffs, and the USL/TOA fallout. The American Soccer Show is part of the Champions Soccer Radio Network. Visit...

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Photo by ISIphotos.com
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Toronto FC has tried and failed for three straight years to make the playoffs, so finding a coach capable of getting the club over that hurdle was vital this winter. TFC has found just such a coach in one of the most sought-after coaching prospects in American soccer.

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

Toronto FC has tried and failed for three straight years to make the playoffs, so finding a coach capable of getting the club over that hurdle was vital this winter. TFC has found just such a coach in one of the most sought-after coaching prospects in American soccer.

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There were two big New York soccer rumors reported in the media this past week. The first was that Pele may be recruited by newly minted New York Cosmos owner Paul Kemsley to serve as President of the organization, which he intends to build into a lifestyle brand as well as a football club. The second is that David Beckham is eyeing New York, Miami or Montreal as the location in which to exercise his right to start a new MLS franchise.

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The Major League Soccer season heads down the final turn this weekend, and with just three games remaining, the stakes are high. Friday night at the Home Depot Center, the Los Angeles Galaxy host the Houston Dynamo with a trip to Seattle and a spot in the MLS Cup final on the line.

It's a tale of two clubs over the past four-five seasons: one has been a proven winner, and is in search of their third cup in the past four years.

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Big Story
The American soccer blogosphere has been getting very hot and bothered in the past week, prompted by Jason Davis at Match Fit USA's tongue-in-cheek post questioning Columbus' suitability for remaining in MLS, following poor attendance in their last playoff game: a mere 10,109 showed up at Crew Stadium last week to see the defending champions crash out to Real Salt Lake.

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Eric Altshule sits down with a legend of American soccer, Alexi Lalas to discuss a myriad of different subjects. As always Lalas is very compelling and perhaps a tad bit controversial. A must listen for any American soccer fan.

Related posts:

1. Mexico's Continued Pain and Alexi Lalas I must admit having a new respect for the Mexican.

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Hilarious and insightful as always:

That's the end result when a populous nation subordinates its own teams and players to cheer for flickering pictures. It's, for want of a less loaded term, imperialism. And it's not a coincidence that this book joins the chorus of those wishing that Americans would adopt this model.

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